twenty-one ✶ voice

[candidly]

[ gwen sounds just a little peeved when she turns on the comm, and a lot more subdued than she was last post, even with the annoyance. ]

Come on, Porter. If you're gonna send me home and bring me back, couldn't you have at least brought me back after prom?

[ she pauses, lets out a sigh. ]

So I'm back. Hi. [ slight hesitation ] No one important left while I was gone, right? And we're not, I dunno, having a weird alien cat invasion or anything?

Comments

[candidly]

Most people generally don't like me. Definitely not as much as other people on the ballot.

[invoking]

[ What should he say? Should he comfort a teenager... ]

I'm sure you don't need to be worried about it.

[candidly]

I'm not worried about it. I just don't want to go.

[invoking]

It won't be that bad, will it? What about friends in the school?

[candidly]

Most of them will have dates and stuff.

[invoking]

What's wrong with that?

[candidly]

Have you ever hung around with people who are a couple? It gets kind of awkward sometimes.

[invoking]

It would be strange to spend time with another man who is courting a woman or a married couple.

[candidly]

There you go.

[invoking]

Are all students required to have a date?

[candidly]

No, but it's really kind of weird if you go stag.

[invoking]

You're really worrying over nothing, I think.

[candidly]

Look, I just don't want to go. The why doesn't really matter.

[invoking]

Forfeit the contest then.

[candidly]

I don't think I can.

[invoking]

[ Wow, it's like the school is out to make sure it embarrasses Gwen. ]

This is all a strange contest...

[candidly]

[ YEP (< ]

You can say that again.